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For the first time in years, municipalities could see a surge in funding for road and bridge improvements.

Under Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget, a combined $80 million in additional revenue - created, in part, by gradually removing the cap on the Oil Company Franchise Tax - would be distributed among municipalities through liquid fuels funding in 2014, state Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Chizmar said. The liquid fuels tax funds can be used for road or bridge repair or other maintenance work, such as installing traffic signals and street signs.

The amount of money each municipality receives depends on its population and total mileage. For the past several years, despite aging infrastructure and rising construction costs, officials say the funding allocated to their municipalities has been steady or cut. As a result, community officials have been forced to delay road or bridge construction projects, South Abington Twp. manager David O'Neill said.

The increase - expected to jump to an additional $200 million in 2018, when the cap is eliminated - would help officials prevent the number of bridges and roads needing repair from climbing, he said.

"Several years ago, we would use the liquid fuels funds and general fund money for road repairs. Over the past couple years, though, we had to reduce our road budget substantially," said Mr. O'Neill, who added the township normally receives about $200,000 annually.

Dickson City Borough Manager Cesare Forconi said a slight decrease in funding has made it more difficult to address all the roads. He said last year the borough received about $130,000 - about $7,000 more than expected this year.

"I was hoping that with this increase in funding shown in the proposed budget, that some of it would trickle down to the municipal level. We can use all we can get," he said.

Though he didn't have exact figures, city Department of Public Works Director Mark Dougher said Scranton has seen "steady" figures over the past five years. "Everyone wants their roads done, but we lack the funding," he said. "It would be huge for the city, and all the other municipalities that could use more funds to resurface roads."

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